Transfer of data related to broadcast programming over a communication network

ABSTRACT

A broadcast programming receiver is provided which includes a broadcast programming interface, a memory, a communication network interface, and output circuitry. The broadcast programming interface is configured to receive broadcast programming, while the output circuitry is configured to transfer the broadcast programming to an output device. The memory is configured to store data related to the broadcast programming. in one embodiment, the communication network interface is configured to receive the data related to the broadcast programming over a communication network from a second broadcast programming receiver and transfer the data to the memory. In another implementation, the communication network interface is configured to receive the data from the memory and send the data over the communication network to a second broadcast programming receiver.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/465,588 entitled “TRANSFER OF DATA RELATED TO BROADCASTPROGRAMMING OVER A COMMUNICATION NETWORK” and filed 21 Aug. 2014, whichis a continuation of copending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.12/328,082 entitled “TRANSFER OF DATA RELATED TO BROADCAST PROGRAMMINGOVER A COMMUNICATION NETWORK” and filed 4 Dec. 2008, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/015,081, entitled“TRANSFER OF DATA RELATED TO BROADCAST PROGRAMMING OVER A COMMUNICATIONNETWORK” and filed 19 Dec. 2007, which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The delivery of radio and television programming by way of terrestrial,satellite, or cable signals to an audio/video receiver or set-top boxlocated in the typical home now provides users access to anunprecedented amount of entertainment, news, weather, and sportsprogramming. Further, by employing multiple such receivers in a home orsimilar structure, access to this programming is enhanced by allowinguse of the programming in any room which provides such a receiver inconjunction with an output device, such as a television or videomonitor.

Typically, each deployed receiver or set-top box also receives asignificant amount of data related to the broadcast programming. Oneexample of this data is the event information associated with theelectronic program guide (EPG), which typically is available to the userof the receiver by way of a special button provided on a remote controldevice accompanying the receiver. Normally, the EPG provides informationrelating to the individual programs available via the receiver,including, for example, the title of the program, a short synopsis ofthe content, the particular dates and times the program is to bebroadcast, and similar information,

Other data. related to the programming may be generated within eachreceiver. One typical example of such data is the recording settingsassociated with a data storage device, such as a digital video recorder(DVR), incorporated into the receiver for recording programs. Thesesettings often include an identification of the program to be recorded,and the start time and length of the recording, for each program beingrecorded. The DVR may also allow the setting of various recordingoptions, such as the recording of each episode of a television series,first-run episodes only, and other recording parameters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily depicted to scale, as emphasis is instead placed uponclear illustration of the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Also, while several embodiments aredescribed in connection with these drawings, the disclosure is notlimited to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intentis to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of two broadcast programming receivers coupledby way of a communication network according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram. of a method according to an embodiment of theinvention for transferring data related to broadcast programming amongbroadcast programming receivers.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a broadcast programming receiver accordingto another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram. of a peer networked system of receiversaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a client-server networked system ofreceivers according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a networked system according to anembodiment of the invention in which a broadcast programming receiver iscoupled with a non-receiver device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The enclosed drawings and the following description depict specificembodiments of the invention to teach those skilled in the art how tomake and use the best mode of the invention. For the purpose of teachinginventive principles, some conventional aspects have been simplified oromitted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate variations of theseembodiments that fall within the scope of the invention. Those skilledin the art will also appreciate that the features described below can becombined in various ways to form multiple embodiments of the invention.As a result, the invention is not limited to the specific embodimentsdescribed below, but only by the claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 provides a block diagram of a system 101 including two broadcastprogramming receivers 100, 120 coupled together by way of acommunication network 140 according to an embodiment of the invention.The first broadcast programming receiver 100 includes a broadcastprogramming interface 102, a memory 104, a communication networkinterface 106, and output circuitry 108. The broadcast programminginterface 102 is configured to receive broadcast programming, while theoutput circuitry 108 is configured to transfer the broadcast programmingto an output device, such as the output device 160 shown in FIG. 1. Thememory 104 is configured to store data related to the broadcastprogramming. In one embodiment, the data is received over the broadcastprogramming interface 102. The communication network interface 106 isconfigured to receive the data related to the broadcast programming fromthe memory 104, and to send the data over the communication network 140.In the specific example of FIG. 1, the transmitted data is received bythe second broadcast programming receiver 120, discussed below. In FIG.1, the memory 104 may also be coupled with the output circuitry 108 toenable transfer of the broadcast programming from the broadcastprogramming interface 102 to the output circuit 108.

Similarly, the second broadcast programming receiver 120 includes abroadcast programming interface 122, a memory 124, a communicationnetwork interface 126, and output circuitry 128. The broadcastprogramming interface 122 is configured to receive broadcastprogramming, while the output circuitry 128 is configured to transferthe broadcast programming to an output device, such as the output device180 depicted in FIG. 1. The communication network interface 126 isconfigured to receive data related to the broadcast programming andtransfer the data to the memory 124. In the specific example of FIG. 1,the data is received from the first broadcast programming receiver 100,described above. The memory 124 is configured to store the receiveddata. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the memory 124 may also be coupledwith the broadcast programming interface 122 and the output circuitry128 to facilitate transfer of the broadcast programming therebetween.

Each of the first receiver 100 and the second receiver 120 may alsoinclude control logic (not shown in FIG. 1) to initiate and coordinatethe functions of the various components of the receivers 100, 120. Adiscussion of such control logic is provided in greater detail below.

A method 200 for transferring data related o broadcast programming amongbroadcast programming receivers is presented in the flow diagram of FIG.2. In the method 200, a first broadcast programming receiver is coupledwith a second broadcast programming receiver via a communication network(operation 202). Broadcast programming is received at both the first andsecond broadcast programming receivers (operation 204). Data related tothe broadcast programming is stored in the first broadcast programmingreceiver (operation 206). A request for the data is generated in thesecond broadcast programming receiver (operation 208). The request forthe data is then transferred from the second broadcast programmingreceiver to the first broadcast programming receiver over thecommunication. network (operation 210). The request is processed in thefirst broadcast programming receiver (operation 212). In response to therequest, the data related to the broadcast programming is transferredfrom the first broadcast programming receiver to the second broadcastprogramming receiver over the communication network (operation 214).

While the flow diagram of FIG. 2 indicates a particular order ofexecution of the operations 202-214 listed above, other orders ofexecution, including concurrent execution of various operations, may bepossible while remaining within the scope of the invention. For example,the receiving of broadcast information at the first and second broadcastreceivers may occur concurrently with the execution of any of the otheroperations of the method 200.

The block diagram of FIG. 3 provides a more detailed view of a broadcastprogramming receiver 300 according to another embodiment of theinvention. Generally, the receiver 300 may either send or receive datarelated to broadcast programming over a communication network 340. InOne embodiment, the data may be sent to or received from anotherbroadcast programming receiver (not shown in FIG. 3). In anotherapplication, the data may be transferred between the receiver 300 andone or more other electronic devices, such as personal computers (PCs)or personal digital assistants (PDAs).

The broadcast programming receiver 300 may be any receiver configured toreceive broadcast programming. Examples include, but are not limited to,a satellite television broadcast set-top box, such as a direct broadcastsatellite (DBS) receiver, a cable television set-top box, a terrestrial(“over-the-air”) set-top box, and a satellite radio receiver. In thesatellite television broadcast environment, the receiver 300 may becoupled with an output device 360, such as a television, video monitor,or audio amplifier, to allow a user to receive the broadcast programmingin an audio or visual format. The connection between the receiver 300and the output device 360 may be any kind of wired or wirelessconnection suitable for carrying the broadcast programming in a formatunderstandable by the output device 360. Examples of such a connectioninclude, but are not limited to, a composite video interface, acomponent video interface, a modulated radio frequency (RF) videointerface, and the High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI),

The broadcast programming receiver 300 includes a broadcast programminginterface 302, a memory 304, a communication network interface 306,output circuitry 308, a user interface 322, and control logic 310. Thebroadcast programming interface 302 includes circuitry which allows thereceiver 300 to receive the broadcast programming from an externalsource, such as from a television broadcast satellite by way of asatellite antenna, a cable television head-end via a coaxial cable, or aterrestrial television distribution station by way of a terrestrialantenna, Such circuitry may perform a number of functions, such asfrequency conversion of an incoming signal, tuning or selection of oneor more programming channels or transponders from the incoming signal,and descrambling and/or decoding of one or more of the programmingChannels for presentation to the user.

The communication network interface 306 is configured to allow thebroadcast programming receiver 300 to communicate with other devices,such as another broadcast programming receiver, aver a communicationnetwork 340. The communication network 340 may be any communicationnetwork capable of transferring data to and from the broadcastprogramming receiver 300, In one embodiment, the communication network340 may be a communication network implemented aver the alternatingcurrent (AC) power lines of a home or other building, such as thenetwork described in the HomePlug® 1.0 Specifications, published by theHomePlug® Powerline Alliance, and incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. Typically, a connection between the communication networkinterface 306 and such a network 340 is facilitated over the same powerline cord employed by most electronic devices to receive AC power from awall socket. Other types of communication networks, such as Ethernet,and other types of communication media, such as wireless, coaxial cable,10/100 Base-T Category (CAT) 5 cable, and the like, may be utilized inother implementations.

The output circuitry 308 is configured to transfer the broadcastprogramming received over the broadcast programming interface 302 to theoutput device 360. The output circuitry 308 may include :circuitry forsignal formatting, frequency conversion, and the like in order toconvert the programming into a form suitable for use by the outputdevice 360.

The user interface 322 includes circuitry for receiving user commandsand other user input. Such input may be relayed to the user interface322 by way of a remote control device 350, by user controls on thereceiver 300 itself, or both. The user interface 322 may receivewireless signals from the remote control device 350 that are infraredsignals, ultra-high frequency (UHF) or other RF signals, or other typesof wireless signals.

The control logic 310 operates to control one or more components of thebroadcast programming receiver 300, such as any of the broadcastprogramming interface 302, the communication network interface 306, theuser interface 322, and the output circuitry 308. The control logic 310may include a processing unit, such as a microprocessor,microcontroller, or digital signal processor (DSP) executing software orfirmware to perform the various control functions discussed herein. Inanother embodiment, digital hardware control circuitry, or a combinationof hardware and software or firmware elements, May be employed as thecontrol logic 310.

Coupled with the control logic 310 is memory 304, which may include anyof read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), and a mass datastorage device, such as a magnetic or optical disk drive. Other forms ofdigital memory storage may be employed in other implementations. Thememory 304 may serve a number of functions, such as storage for theinstructions and data related to software or firmware executed by thecontrol logic 310. The memory 304 may also provide sufficient storagefor one or more programs received over the broadcast programminginterface 302, thus facilitating digital video recorder (DVR)functionality in the receiver 300.

In addition, the memory 304 provides storage for data related to thebroadcast programming received by way of the broadcast programminginterface 302. As described in greater detail below, the data may be anydata related to the broadcast programming, such as event informationtypically associated with an electronic program guide (EPG) 312. Thedata may also include recording settings 314, such as those set by auser to direct the broadcast programming receiver 304 to record one ormore programs. In another implementation, the data may be one or morerecorded. programs 316 of the broadcast programming itself Further, thedata may include security information 318 identifying channels orprograms to be blocked or disabled in the absence of a password or key,as well as status information 320 regarding the operation of one or morebroadcast receivers, or any other portion of the broadcast communicationsystem in which the receiver 300 is located, As a result, each of thesetypes of data may be useful in the operation of other devices coupled tothe receiver 300 or other unit initially possessing the data. Each ofthese data 312-320, as well as the effect of their transfer into or outof the receiver 300, is discussed in greater detail below.

Together with the control logic 310, the memory 304 may also provide acommunication path to each of the broadcast programming interface 302,the communication network interface 306, and the output circuitry 308,as presented in FIG. 3. In other embodiments, such communication pathsbetween these components may be provided separately from the memory 304and the control logic 310.

Depending on the particular implementation, the broadcast programmingreceiver 300 may also include other circuits or components not shown inFIG. 3, such as multiple broadcast programming tuners. Many suchcircuits may be controlled by way of the control logic 310.

Depending on the particular operating environment, the broadcastprogramming receiver 300 may transmit any of data 312-320 stored withinthe memory 304 to a separate device, such as another receiver unit, overthe communication network 340. In another case, the receiver 300receives the data 312-320 from another device and stores the data in thememory 304. In yet another example, the receiver 300 May both send andreceive the data 312-320 over the communication network 340.

The communication network 340, the receiver 300, and other devicescoupled thereto may constitute a number of different networked systemstailored to meet the needs of a particular application. FIGS. 4-6provide examples of such networked systems. In those examples, asingle-bus type of architecture, such as what may be encountered in aHomePlug® network environment, is employed, but different networktopologies, such as ring or star configurations, may be employed inother embodiments.

FIG. 4 provides an example of a “federated” or distributed networksystem 400 in which a number of receivers 300 act as peers to share thedata 312-320 each possesses. In one implementation, each receiver 300may request at least a portion of the data 312-320 that resides in oneor more of the remaining receivers 300 of the system 400. The requestingreceiver 300 may request the data specifically from each of the otherreceivers 300, or may generate a broadcast request, to which any of theother receivers 300 may respond. in some situations, the latest or mostrecent data 312-320 may be required. To that end, the data 312-320 maybe marked with a date and time label or other indicator that may becompared with those of other versions of the data 312-320 stored in thevarious receivers 300 to determine which data set is the most current. Agoal of such a system 400 may be to ensure that the same version of data312-320, such as the EPG data 312, is available at each of the receivers300.

In FIG. 5, a client-server network system 500 includes a single “server”receiver 300 a coupled with one or more “client” receivers 300 b by wayof the communication network 340. In such an arrangement, the serverreceiver 300 a initially possesses most of the data 312-320, which maythen be disseminated to the server receivers 300 a. In one embodiment,the server receiver 300 a may transmit the information to the clientreceivers 300 b whenever the server receiver 300 a acquires updated data312-320. Alternately, the client receivers 300 b may specificallyrequest one or more portions of the data 312-320 from the serverreceiver 300 a.

The configuration of system 500 may be selected over the peerarchitecture 400 of FIG. 4 for a number of reasons. For example, theserver receiver 300 a may possess more capability in terms of processingor storage capacity than the client receivers 300 b, thus allowing theserver receiver 300 a to collect and store more data 312-320. In anotherexample, the server receiver 300 a may be coupled to the source of thebroadcast programming by way of a separate communication connection 502,such as a phone line or Internet connection, not accessible by theclient receivers 300 b. Thus, the server receiver 300 a may have initialaccess to at least some forms of the data 312-320 required by the clientreceivers 300 b.

FIG. 6 shows an example of another system 600 in which a broadcastprogramming receiver 300 is coupled by way of the communication network340 to a non-receiver device 602. Examples of such a device 602 include,but are not limited to, a personal computer (PC) and a personal digitalassistant (PDA). In one embodiment, a user may generate some portion ofthe data 312-320, such as the recording settings 314 for the receiver300, and then transfer the settings 314 over the communication network140 to the receiver 300. In this case, the device 602 may provide a moreuser-friendly interface to generate the settings 314 than the receiver300, thus allowing the user to employ the device 602 for that purposebefore transferring the settings 314 to the receiver 300. Other forms ofdata 312-320 may be generated in a similar manner. In otherimplementations, some types of the data 312-320, such as the eventinformation 312, may be transferred from the receiver 300 to thenon-receiver device 602 over the network 340. Further, more than onereceiver 300 may be coupled with more than one non-receiver device 602via the network 340.

As can be seen in the networked systems 400, 500, 600 of FIGS. 4-6, thedata 312-320 is transferred between one receiver 300 or non-receiverdevice 602 and another. However, the data 312-320 may be received by thesending receiver 300 or device 602 from another source prior to the databeing transferred within the system 400, 500, 600. In one example, thereceiver 300 sending the data 312-320 may have initially received thatdata from another receiver 300 or non-receiver device 602 over thecommunication network 340. In another application, the receiver 300sending the data 312-320 may have received the data from the source ofthe broadcast programming, either by way of the broadcast programminginterface 302 or another connection, such as the communicationconnection 502 depicted in FIG. 5. According to another embodiment, thereceiver 300 sending the data 312-320 may have generated the datainternally, either in some automated fashion, or at the initiation of auser by way of the user interface 322 of the receiver 300.

As discussed above, the data 312-320 may be any data related to thebroadcast programming received by the broadcast programming receiver300. The variety of the types of data 312-320 possibly being transferredin a particular system facilitates a wide range of functions. Forexample, if the data is event information 312 associated with an EPG,all or a portion of the event information 312 may be transferred fromone receiver 300 or non-receiver device 602 to another. In one example,one or more receivers 300 may not have received the latest eventinformation 312 due to that receiver 300 being disabled at the time thelatest event information 312 was last transmitted with the broadcastprogramming. By receiving the event information 312 from anotherreceiver 300, the receiver 300 accepting the data will not have to waituntil the next download of the event information 312 from theprogramming source.

Presuming the use of the system 500 in which at least one of the clientreceivers 300 b possesses less storage capacity for the eventinformation 312 than the server receiver 300 a, the client receiver 300b may request a portion of the event information 312 covering a shorterspan of time than that covered by the entire event information 312stored in the server receiver 300 a. Similarly, the client receiver 300b may desire a particular portion of the event information 312 notcurrently stored in the memory 304 of the client receiver 3006. Inresponse, the client receiver 300 b may request the identified portionof the event information 312 from the server receiver 300 a for displayto the user.

If, instead, the data to be transferred are recording settings 314, thedata may be transferred about a networked system 400, 500, 600 in manyways depending on the particular goal to be accomplished. For example, auser may desire that none of the receivers 300 networked together recordthe same program twice in order to more efficiently utilize thecollective storage capacity of the system. To accomplish this goal, thereceivers 300 may be configured to swap recording settings 314periodically to detect and eliminate duplicate recording settings. Inanother situation, the user may desire to record more programs at oneparticular time than the number of tuners available in one receiver 300.Instead of requiring the user to program another receiver 300 to recordone of the programs, the user may program the original receiver 300, andin response, the original receiver 300 may transfer the recordingsettings for the additional program to another receiver 300 over thecommunication network 340 to distribute the recordings across multiplereceivers 300. Many other implementations involving the transfer ofrecording settings across multiple receivers 300 are also possible. Inanother embodiment, a non-receiver device 602 (shown in FIG. 6) may beused as a platform for a user to program the recording settings anddownload the settings to one or more receivers 300 capable of recordingthe desired programs.

Depending on the bandwidth and usage of the communication network 340,the data to be transferred may include programs 316 that have beenrecorded on one receiver 300 for viewing via another connected receiver300. Such a program 316 may be completely transferred from one receiver300 to another before viewing begins, or only a certain portion of theprogram 316 may be required to be transferred and buffered to thedestination receiver 300 before display to the user. Such a networkedsystem thus provides mobility of a program recorded oil any of enetworked receivers 300 to any other of the receivers 300.

As mentioned above, the data may be security or “blocking” information318, such information related to preventing access to specific channelsor programs by children or other users not privy to an access code orkey. At times, such information may be rather arduous to input intomultiple receivers 300 of a home. To facilitate protecting all connectedreceivers 300 in such a fashion, this security information 318 may beprogrammed into a single receiver 300. The programmed receiver 300 maythen transfer that data to all Other connected receivers 300 over thecommunication network 340 to set the identical security status for eachreceiver 300, thus eliminating the time and effort normally required forthe user to manually program the security features of each receiver 300.

In another embodiment, the data may include status information 320regarding the operational status or “health” of one or more componentsof the broadcast system, such as specific programming channels,broadcast satellites, individual transponders within a particularsatellite, or the like. Such information may be generated within each ofthe networked receivers 300, transferred among the receivers 300, andcollectively compared to determine the actual operational status 320 asdetected by each receiver 300 to help determine the cause of theproblem. For example, if all receivers 300 of a particular networkedsystem determine that a specific transponder of one satellite isinoperative, the determination is likely correct. Oppositely, if onlyone of the receivers 300 detects an inoperative transponder, the problemmost likely lies within the receiver 300 sensing the problem. Theresults of the comparison could then be relayed to the user, thebroadcast communication system, or both. In one implementation, each ofthe networked receivers 300 may transfer their status information 320 toa predetermined receiver 300, such as the server receiver 300 a in theclient-server networked system 500 of FIG. 5, which may then compareeach copy of the status information 320 received from the clientreceivers 300 b to determine the underlying cause of the detectedproblem.

Based on the limited examples illustrated above, transferring dataassociated with broadcast programming among a group of broadcastprogramming receivers networked may provide any of several advantages.Generally, such networked receivers may be configured to operate as asingle, large receiver unit by virtue of the passing of the data betweenthe receivers. This distribution of data allows, for example, a user toprogram recording settings in one receiver, and to allow, those settingsto propagate to other receivers of the system. Also, if recordedprograms may be transferred from one receiver to another, the collectiveDVR storage of the receivers may be operated as a signal extensive DVRwith a capacity essentially equal to the sum of the program storagecapacities of all of the receivers. Use of a networked system may alsofacilitate the employment of a single, high-performance “server”receiver networked with other, less-capable “client” receivers to formahighly-capable networked system at a. reduced cost. Further, presumingsome of the data may be introduced into the system by way of analternative interface, such as a phone or Internet connection, only asingle such connection to a receiver may be necessary as long as thatdata may be relayed to other receivers over the communication networkcoupling the receivers together. Further, use of a standardizedcommunication network may allow the data to be supplied by anon-receiver device, such as a PC, thus allowing a user to definerecording settings and other data using the capabilities of the devicebefore transmitting the data to one or more receivers.

White several embodiments of the invention have been discussed herein,other embodiments encompassed by the scope of the invention arepossible. For example, while various embodiments have been describedherein primarily within the context of satellite television broadcastprogramming, receivers devised primarily for reception of satelliteradio signals, cable television and radio signals, terrestrialtelevision and radio signals, and other forms of broadcast programmingmay be utilized in other embodiments. Also, while particular forms ofdata associated with broadcast programming, such as event informationand recording settings, have been discussed, other forms of such datanot specifically discussed herein may be involved in otherimplementations. In addition, aspects of one embodiment may be combinedwith those of alternative embodiments to create further implementationsof the present invention. Thus, while the present invention has beendescribed in the context of specific embodiments, such descriptions areprovided for illustration and not limitation. Accordingly, the properscope of the present invention is delimited only by the following claimsand their equivalents.

1. (canceled)
 2. A broadcast programming receiver system, comprising: afirst broadcast programming receiver, comprising: a first communicationnetwork interface for communicating with a second programming receivervia a communication network; a first broadcast programming interface forreceiving broadcast programming via a broadcast system from a contentprovider and obtaining data related to the broadcast programming,comprising: electronic programming guide event information, and securityinformation associated with access to the broadcast programming; and afirst memory for storing a first set of data related to the broadcastprogramming; and the second programming receiver, comprising: a secondcommunication network interface for communicating with the firstbroadcast programming receiver via the communication network; andcontrol logic that: generates a request for data from the firstbroadcast programming receiver, wherein the request is generated afterthe first broadcast programming receiver receives the broadcastprogramming and the request is transmitted to the first broadcastprogramming receiver via the second communication network interface; andreceives, in response to the request, via the second communicationnetwork interface, from the first broadcast programming receiver atleast one type of data selected from the group consisting of: theelectronic programming guide event information, one or more recordingsettings of the first broadcast programming receiver, the securityinformation, and the broadcast programming.
 3. The broadcast programmingreceiver system of claim 2, wherein the second programming receivercomprises a second broadcast programming interface for receivingbroadcast programming via the broadcast system from the contentprovider.
 4. The broadcast programming receiver system of claim 3,wherein the control logic of the second programming receiver uses thereceived recording settings to eliminate one or more duplicate recordingsettings set for recording at the second programming receiver.
 5. Thebroadcast programming receiver system of claim 3, wherein the firstbroadcast programming receiver and the second programming receiverreceive broadcast programming via a satellite broadcast system from thecontent provider.
 6. The broadcast programming receiver system of claim4, wherein the second programming receiver further comprises: a secondmemory for storing a second set of data related to broadcastprogramming, wherein the second set of data is received from the contentprovider via the second programming interface for receiving broadcastprogramming, wherein: the control logic of the second programmingreceiver processes a received second request for data from the firstbroadcast programming receiver; and in response to the request, thecontrol logic, via the second communication network interface, transfersat least a portion of the second set of data to the first broadcastprogramming receiver via the communication network.
 7. The broadcastprogramming receiver system of claim 6, wherein: the first broadcastprogramming receiver is a server device, the first memory being oflarger capacity than the second memory of the second programmingreceiver.
 8. The broadcast programming receiver system of claim 2, thefirst broadcast programming receiver further comprising first outputcircuitry configured to output video to a first television; and thesecond programming receiver further comprising second output circuitryconfigured to output video to a second television.
 9. The broadcastprogramming receiver system of claim 2, wherein obtaining the data bythe first broadcast programming interface comprises recording broadcastprogramming to the first memory of the first broadcast programmingreceiver.
 10. The broadcast programming receiver system of claim 2,wherein the first broadcast programming receiver is further configuredto transfer security information indicative of channel restrictions tothe second programming receiver.
 11. A broadcast programming receiversystem, comprising: a programming server, comprising: a firstcommunication network interface for communicating with a programmingclient via a communication network; a first broadcast programminginterface for receiving broadcast programming via a broadcast systemfrom a content provider and obtaining data related to the broadcastprogramming, comprising: electronic programming guide event information,and security information associated with access to the broadcastprogramming; and a first memory for storing a first set of data relatedto the broadcast programming; and the programming client, wherein aprocessing capability of the programming server is greater than aprocessing capability of the programming client, the programming clientcomprising: a second communication network interface for communicatingwith the programming server via the communication network; and controllogic configured to: generate a request for data from the programmingserver, wherein the request is generated after the programming serverreceives the broadcast programming and the request is transmitted to theprogramming server via the second communication network interface; andreceive, in response to the request, via the second communicationnetwork interface, from the programming server at least one type of dataselected from the group consisting of: the electronic programming guideevent information, one or more recording settings of the programmingserver, the security information, operational status information of thebroadcast system, and one or more instances of broadcast programming.12. The programming server system of claim 11, wherein the programmingserver receives broadcast programming via a satellite broadcast systemfrom the content provider.
 13. The programming server system of claim12, wherein the control logic is further configured to: receive theoperational status information, which provides information about aparticular transponder of a satellite of the satellite broadcast system;and determine, based on the operational status information of thebroadcast system, a fault with the particular transponder.
 14. Theprogramming server system of claim 13, wherein the control logic isfurther configured to output a result of the determined fault forpresentation.
 15. The programming server system of claim 11, theprogramming server further comprising an Internet connection component,wherein the Internet connection component permits communication betweenthe programming server and the content provider via the Internet. 16.The programming server system of claim 10, wherein the programmingserver is further configured to provide: a user interface through whicha user provides an indication of one or more channels to which access isto be restricted, wherein the programming server is further configuredto transfer security information indicative of restricted televisionchannels to one or more additional programming servers connected withthe communication network.
 17. The programming server system of claim11, the programming server further comprising output circuitryconfigured to output video to a display device.
 18. A method for usingbroadcast programming receiver system, comprising: receiving, via afirst programming receiver, broadcast programming via a broadcast systemfrom a content provider; obtaining, via the first programming receiver,data from the content provider related to broadcast programming,comprising: electronic programming guide event information, and securityinformation associated with access to the broadcast programming;storing, by the first programming receiver, a first set of data relatedto the broadcast programming; generating, by a second programmingreceiver, a request for data from the first broadcast programmingreceiver, wherein the request is generated after the first broadcastprogramming receiver has received the broadcast programming and therequest is transmitted to the first broadcast programming receiver via acommunication network; and receiving, by the second programmingreceiver, in response to the request, via the communication network, atleast one type of data selected from the group consisting of: theelectronic programming guide event information, one or more recordingsettings of the first broadcast programming receiver, the securityinformation, and one or more instances of broadcast programming.
 19. Themethod for using broadcast programming receiver system of claim 18,further comprising receiving, by the second programming receiver, usinga broadcast programming interface, broadcast programming via thebroadcast system from the content provider.
 20. The method for usingbroadcast programming receiver system of claim 18, further comprising:determining, by the second programming receiver, from recording settingsthat particular broadcast programming has been previously recorded or isschedule for recording by the first broadcast programming receiver; andeliminating, by the second programming receiver, a scheduled recordingof the particular broadcast programming based on the recording settings.21. The method for using broadcast programming receiver system of claim18, further comprising transferring, by the first programming receiver,security information indicative of channel restrictions to the secondprogramming receiver.